Fighting For Love
by Shixam
Summary: Ven, Terra, and Aqua return to the coliseum to compete in the games once more, and Terra finds out Zack wants to date Aqua. How will he take it? Terra/Aqua. Up to chapter 5!
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: If you have not played Birth By Sleep, but would like to, please skip the notes at the beginning of the chapter(s) unless you really don't mind spoilers. I don't want to reveal anything from the game that might ruin your playing experience. It's an awesome game, and you should get to playing it as soon as you possibly can.

Woo! New fanfic! I'm so proud of myself just for the idea of this one XD

No OCs

And it is not a result of a challenge from a friend.

It is my own idea I got while playing Birth By Sleep, and I'm sure it's the first that is 100% my idea AND OC free! Really, I started this before I even finished the game. I loved the part where Zack asked Aqua on a date, and at that moment I also realized I love Terra/Aqua. So I kind of wondered what would happen if Terra found out Zack wanted to ask out Aqua. And thus this fanfiction was born. I was so attatched to the idea that I wanted to get the idea out before I lost interest/forgot it. This meant I wrote the first chapter before I finished the game (I was Aqua's story, the last one for me, and in Neverland. I was close!). So I wrote the chapter in a notebook, finished the game to see if I needed to change anything to account for explanations of what happened, and then typed the chapter up.

Now, this is sort of AU. In order for this idea to work out I figure things would have to NOT end how they do on the game. So things that seem impossible (the three friends being together, and happy, and all alive, their home still actually being there, Terra not being controlled by Xehanort-I actually haven't played the bonus chapter yet, so I'm not too clear on what happened at the end of Terra's story, but I'm hoping to find out-etc.) are actually possible. I don't see how they could happily return to the coliseum if their home is destroyed, Ven has no heart, and Terra mysteriously disappeared. So let us pretend they all had wonderfully happy endings.

*putting space between possible spoilers and the fanfic*

I do not own Birth By Sleep (except for owning the game physically XD), Kingdom Hearts, or any of the characters in this fanfic. They belong to Squeenix.

* * *

All had been peaceful in the worlds since Terra, Ventus, and Aqua had returned from their encounters with Xehanort and Vanitus. They'd returned home to the Land of Departure, and although the damage done to their world was great the trio did their best to return things to normal. It wasn't the same without Master Eraqus, but they managed to regain some part of their old lives.

Ven and Terra were still not Masters. Even though Xehanort had named Terra as one, Terra felt like he didn't deserve the title when it came from someone who was so close to the darkness. So, after consulting with Yen Sid, Aqua had taken the responsibility of helping with their training. She found this hard since Aqua really didn't know much more than her friends. Aqua did her best, though, and was constantly contacting Yen Sid for advice. She was no Master Eraqus, but Aqua had never expected to fill his shoes.

There was one thing Aqua knew she could do, though. Soon after Terra and Ven had resumed training Terra had approached Aqua with a request. He was afraid of giving in to the darkness, especially after his meeting with Master Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard. Terra still had the white hair and yellow eyes as marks of what had happened. The experience made him feel like it'd be all too easy to succumb now. So Terra had requested that Aqua help him to conquer the darkness within him, and Aqua had happily agreed. It was always a relief to know he wouldn't just give in.

Slowly the trio got used to their new lives in a repaired home and broken family. They remained confined to their world for two years until all three began to get restless. Repeatedly they would talk about their experiences in the different worlds they visited. Their favorite subject was the games at the coliseum. One night, while sitting outside, Aqua and Terra had been talking about their separate experiences competing when they noticed Ven had lapsed into complete silence.

"And you know, I always wondered how Unversed would-…What?" Terra asked as Aqua held up a hand to silence him. Aqua's gaze was concentrated on Ven, who was sitting silently in his chair and looking up at the stars.

"Something wrong, Ven?" Aqua asked, now attracting Terra's attention to their friend.

"Nah…" Ven said, still gazing at the sky, "…I was just thinking it'd be cool to go back…"

"Back? To the coliseum?" Aqua asked, "You know we can't do that."

"Why not?" Terra suddenly asked. He was smiling at the thought of returning to compete again. And this time he wouldn't fall for Hades', or anyone else's, tricks.

"Because the worlds aren't supposed to have contact with each other, no matter how much we wish to go back," Aqua explained. She sounded exasperated with the two of them. The idea of returning to other worlds to see their new friends had arisen before. Every time Aqua convinced the boys it was better to remain at home, but she had a feeling making them stay wouldn't be so easy this time. The idea of returning to the games was appealing even to her.

"We could go, though," Ven pointed out, "The Lanes Between are still open."

"But they shouldn't be," Aqua argued.

"Come on, Aqua," Terra said, giving her a slight grin, "I still owe that Zack kid a fair fight. And I'm sure Yen Sid would have closed the lanes by now if it was really crucial they were closed."

"I-it is…" Aqua said, trying not to appear as flustered as she felt. It was that grin that did it. For some reason certain things like his grin or when they looked into each other's eyes would just make her heart start to beat faster and she'd blush.

Aqua was not a naïve girl. She knew how babies were made, and about falling in love, and she'd had a few crushes in her days before Aqua began her training. However, she couldn't admit that she had a crush on Terra. He was like a brother to her. There was some part of Aqua, though, that had to admit things had changed since the three had turned. And it wasn't just Terra's new looks that were causing all this. If Aqua was sure of anything, she was sure of that. Terra's hair and eyes may have changed, but he had not. Terra was still Terra.

"Well, if closing the lanes is so important, why don't you just do it?" Terra was asking now, bringing Aqua's thoughts away from her feelings and back to the current issue.

"I…I don't know how," Aqua admitted.

"Alright," Terra stood up and his friends could tell he was set on the idea when he said, "Then let's go! Might as well use those lanes while we can."

"Yeah!" Ven said, standing as well and beaming at his friend. He would eagerly follow Terra anywhere, but Aqua still wasn't sold on the idea. In fact, she was starting to look upset now.

"I don't like it when you talk like that," she told Terra quietly. The whole mood suddenly seemed to change. When she heard Terra say something like suggesting they take advantage of the Lanes Between, Aqua feared he would become close to the darkness again. "You shouldn't just disregard the rules like that."

"Aqua, I'm sure Terra didn't mean anything by it, right?" Ven turned to Terra for the answer. He looked concerned for their friend, and hopeful that Terra would give them the right answer at the same time.

"Yeah, I didn't," Terra said, "We shouldn't abuse the opportunity, I know that, but we'd all like to go back and try the games again. I think that's been agreed, and don't try to deny it, Aqua. We don't know how much longer the lanes will be open. It's been two years already, and three or four or more might be pushing it. This could be the only chance we get. Please, Aqua?"

"Pretty please?" Ven asked, and now they were both giving her such puppy dog hopeful looks that it was hard to resist. The fact Aqua really wanted to go too already wasn't making staying any easier. She didn't need these two teaming up against her as well.

"…Fine," Aqua said, sighing and giving her friends a resigned smile as she stood with them.

"Great!" Ven said, donning his armor. Aqua and Terra followed suit before opening a portal, getting on their gliders, and leaving home once again.

On the way out Ven declared, "Last one there's a broken keyblade!" A race had begun.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2! I've been on a fanfic rampage lately, even though I haven't posted anything until now. Word sprints to practice for National Novel Writing Month have started and I've been using those to work on four different fanfics (this being one of them) at the same time. They're all in a notebook, though, so now I'm using the sprints to type up the written chapters. Expect quite a few updates from me today =)

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Birth By Sleep, or any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic.

* * *

Being the quickest of the three, Ven was soon far ahead of his friends. It'd be too easy for him to win, especially since Ven had given himself a head start. However, Ven was also the youngest. Naturally, Aqua and Terra had a habit of treating him like a child. They worried too much, in Ven's opinion, but he still dropped back a little bit. As long as they could see him, Aqua and Terra would be happy.

Soon, Ven had dropped back even more. All he had to do was stay close enough and Ven could win the race at the end. So it didn't bother him when Terra and Aqua passed by to be neck and neck in the lead.

Ever since Ven had arrived he'd watched terra and Aqua and he'd noticed they could get very competitive with each other. That competitiveness was showing now, and Ven began to wonder if Terra would let anything get in the way of winning, like his feelings.

A couple months ago, Terra had paid Ven a visit in his room. Ven had immediately noticed something was wrong, and asked what was bugging his friend.

"I've been feeling weird lately…" Terra had told him. His tone clearly said the older Keyblade wielder was confused.

"Weird how?" Ven asked next.

"It's…I don't know. I feel fine now. But when I'm around Aqua…" Terra trailed off as he looked for the right words to describe these feelings. Not being the most articulate speaker, Terra decided on, "I feel like I want to puke."

"…I thought we'd all forgiven each other for anything that happened two years ago…" Ven had completely misunderstood Terra's meaning. He was thinking back to when they'd all be in Radiant Gardens, and Terra had gotten upset at Aqua for spying on him.

"I don't mean it like that…"Terra said, "Look, have you ever really liked a girl? You know, like you wanted to date her because she was hot, or funny, or smart? …Are you even old enough for that?"

"Of course I am! Not that I can remember anything like that…" Ven said, but then again he couldn't remember much.

"Well…it's like that," Terra had said.

"So….you want to date Aqua?" Ven asked, now failing to see why his friend was bothered so much. He really didn't mind if his two best friends started dating. In fact, if they really wanted to, Ven would be happy for them. He knew Terra and Aqua would never Ven and treat him like some third wheel. The three of them were a family, and as much as Ven hated the idea, he would have to be the family's baby. Everybody knew you couldn't forget the baby. No matter how much they cared for each other, Ven knew Terra and Aqua would care for him just the same as always.

Ven got a surprise when terra answered with, "No!" And now both boys were confused.

"But…you just said…" Ven tried to make sense of the situation. With a sigh, Terra walked over to the window and leaned on the wall next to it. He fell silent as he gave some thought their conversation.

"I know what I said…" Terra spoke after a few moments, "She's like my sister….it's impossible that…"

"…Well, maybe it's time for a change…maybe you're ready to move on from there," Ven suggested, trying to be helpful. It was strange to be the one giving advice. Usually that's what he went to Terra for.

"Maybe…" Terra said, turning to stare out the window as he thought. After that day, Ven a change in Terra. He started acting differently around Aqua. He'd give her this big grin when he'd crack a joke, or when they watch a meteor shower he'd causally lean back and put an arm behind her. Terra didn't seem to have the courage to try actually his arm around her yet, but Ven saw he was trying to get her attention to his feelings. Every so often it appeared to work, and Ven would see Aqua blush or draw attention to something else.

And now, as Ven watched the two race not too far ahead of him, he wondered it Terra would try to let Aqua win to gain her affection. He doubted the idea would work. Losing would just give Aqua bragging rights.

Plus, there was no way either of them would win against Ven. The Coliseum had just come into view, and that was Ven's sign to put on a burst of speed. He pushed right between his friends as he passed them.

The two each let out a cry of "Hey!"

Ven just responded with, "Sorry!" and went in for a landing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3! And this is the last FFL chapter for today (not for the fic though! I've got more to write!).

I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Birth By Sleep, or the characters. They belong to Squeenix.

* * *

"Who's the fastest?" Ven gloated to his friends as they landed in front of the Coliseum gates not long after him. He stood there with a big grin on his face, hands behind his head. Terra and Aqua could only smile at him. It sucked to lose, but seeing Ven happy made them have to smile. It was always worse for them to lose to each other.

"You are, Ven," Terra said, grinning back as he messed up his younger friend's hair.

"Hey!" a voice came from the direction of the vestibule. Looking for the source, the trio saw a pudgy little satyr walking towards them. Not far behind were two young heroes-in-training, who were both known to the Keyblade wielders. One had red hair and dressed in a white toga. That was Hercules. Next him was an eager looking soldier with spiky black hair, who would be Zack.

"Who's makin' all the racket?" the satyr asked, too annoyed to recognize the visitors right away. "We're tryin' to train for the games!"

Terra, Ven, and Aqua smiled at each other in amusement as Phil yelled at them. Behind him, Hercules and Zack had huge grins on their faces. It hadn't taken them any time to recognize their friends.

"Hey, Phil," Aqua said, and caused the little man to pause. One look at Aqua, and he knew exactly who he was talking to.

"Well hell-o there, Beautiful," Phil greeted her, "Had to come back for me, huh? Watch and learn boys this is how you woo a woman."

All the youths laughed when they heard that. Hercules, Zack, and Aqua were laughing because of how Phil was acting. Ven and Terra were laughing because Aqua had left out that Phil liked to hit on her when she told them about her first trip.

"Actually, we're here for the games," Aqua said, gaining control of herself first.

"Oh…" Phil said, his rejection and embarrassment putting him in a foul mood. Ven decided to step forward and change the subject.

"I thought you only wanted one student, Phil," he asked, turning to grin at Hercules and Zack again.

"I do only have one," Phil said, "Zack here found his own trainer for this year. Some guy named Angel. He's got kind of a sissy name, but he's alright." Phil shrugged, clearly not impressed with the new trainer on the block, and maybe a little jealous.

"His name is Angeal," Zack corrected him, sticking up for his mentor. "And he's awesome!"

"Can't wait to meet him," Terra said, "I bet I'll still beat you, though."

"No way! I've got you this time!" Zack said, "All three of you! And when I win, we'll go out to dinner!"

Upon hearing the dinner invitation, Terra became completely confused. He had no clue why Zack would want to ask him on a date. Then Terra noticed that Zack had turned to speak to Aqua at that point. A dark emotion that could only be jealousy began to fill Terra.

"Dinner?" he asked, turning to Aqua for explanations. He hoped she wouldn't see how he felt.

"Oh…it's…I said no promises, Zack," Aqua tried, looking very flustered and turning very red. Terra couldn't help thinking she had never blushed that much for him.

As for Aqua, she had seen the jealousy when Terra looked at her. Mixed in with being flustered was the feeling of worry. Emotions like hate, rage, and jealousy were the sort of things that made someone give in to the darkness.

"I can still hold you to it," Zack insisted, eager as a puppy. "When I'm a hero, we're going out!"

"Well you aren't one yet," Phil spoke up. No one could be sure if he was rescuing Aqua out of kindness, or because he wanted to date her himself. "And you won't be one if you don't get back to training. Now, you three," he'd turned to Terra, Ven, and Aqua, "We only have two spots left in the games. All three of you can't compete. So who's it gonna be?"

Terra and Aqua said, "Ven," at the same time Ven shouted, "ME!" It was a pretty fair and easy decision for them since Ven was the only one who couldn't compete last time.

"Come on, Ven," Herc said, excited his friend would be competing against him this time, "I'll go help you get signed up." At Ven's nod, the two young men ran straight to the Vestibule as Phil turned to Terra and Aqua.

"So, which one of you is competing then?" he asked them.

"You take it," Terra immediately told Aqua. This was partly out of kindness, and partly because he was afraid. He knew his jealousy was only helping the darkness inside, and if he fought Terra didn't want it to come out.

"No, you," Aqua said. She knew the risk of letting Terra fight, but she had enough faith in him to believe that nothing would go wrong. "I competed last time."

"I did too," Terra pointed out.

"Come on, Terra!" Zack insited, "You owe me a match."

"He has a point there," Aqua agreed, "You give him that match, Terra."

"…Alright then," Terra said. With how he felt, he was looking forward to giving Zack a beating. That probably wasn't the best thought to have with how he felt, but Terra couldn't help it.

"Great! Let's go! And I'll introduce you to Angeal, too!" Zack said, giving Terra a big friendly grin. He was completely oblivious to what going on in Terra's mind. After Zack led Terra inside to get signed up, that just left Aqua with Phil.

"Well, tough luck, Sweet Cheeks," Phil said, moving closer to Aqua, "Maybe you can compete next time."

"Yeah…maybe…" Aqua said, more than a little distracted. She was watching Zack and Terra walk to the vestibule, and hoping she would be right about Terra. They had been training for two years to help him fight darkness, after all. That couldn't all just have gone to waste.

"You know," the satyr continued, taking note of Aqua's distraction and hoping to bring her attention back to him, "I'll get you special seats this time. You can be down with the trainers on the sidelines. It's even better than bein' in the stands."

"Sure. Sounds good," Aqua told him. "You know, I think I hear Ven calling me."

"What? I don't-" Phil started to say, but it was too late. Aqua was already on her way inside.


	4. Chapter 4

I've been bad. Very bad. I knew I would be trying National Novel Writing Month and so my fanfictions would probably go a whole month untouched, however I didn't not expect that month to be October. That month was supposed to be this month, and now that this month is here...I don't want to do NaNoWriMo o.o It just isn't there...I wanna work on fanfictions more. SO! Here is the next chapter of Fighting For Love! Honestly, it's been so long since the last chapter I had to take a moment and remember where I was going to go next exactly XD I think I got it worked out, though, and hopefully that one month hasn't made this fanfic suck.

Enjoy reading! Thank you for all the reviews so far! 3

And I do not own Birth By Sleep or the characters from Birth By Sleep, except in game form.

* * *

"Man, you are so lucky," Zack was telling Terra as he filled out the entry form. He barely noticed the keyblade wielder's distraction. So many things were going through Terra's mind at that moment.

First, he was still going over everything about Zack and Aqua. Zack not only had feelings for Aqua, but had already asked her out. Sure, it looked like she had turned him down, but the fact still remained that Zack had gotten farther than Terra had the very day the two had met. Terra had known Aqua for years and _still_ had no courage to ask her out. Well, he'd have to fix that, and fast.

Second, the entry form had brought up memories from the last time Terra had entered the games. The question Terra had been staring at for the past minute as Zack tried to talk to him was: Favorite god? Terra vividly remembered impatiently waiting for Hades to get on with the formalities as the god of death had written his own name in that same spot. And now, Terra was wondering exactly what name he himself should write in. Hades was the only god Terra knew of, but the god of death certainly wasn't Terra's favorite.

"Hey, Zack?" Terra suddenly asked, interrupting Zack's current rant on how awesome Aqua was (even though, Terra mentally noted, he'd only known her for a very short span of time). "Exactly who are the different gods?"

"Um…well, let's see…you've got Zeus, he's king of the gods…Aphrodite, technically a goddess. She's love. Artemis is the goddess of wisdom; Aries is the god of war…." Zack squinted up at the vestibule's ceiling as he tried to remember all the gods and goddesses he knew of. The one that had caught in Terra's mind was Aphrodite. The word "love" had triggered more thoughts about his feelings for Aqua. He quickly wrote the goddess's name down in the spot.

"Now, what were you saying before?" Terra said, once again interrupting Zack as he was still listing other deities.

"Huh? Oh! About Aqua?" Zack asked, but he continued talking without waiting for an answer, "She is some amazing woman. You're lucky to be able to spend so much time with her. I would kill for just a little of her time, just one date, and I bet you spend all day with her every day, don't you?"

Terra had to look away as he smirked at that remark before replying, "Yeah…yeah, I do."

"Man…I wish we could trade places for a bit," Zack said, "I just know that if I only had a little more time with her I could convince Aqua to go out with me." Now the kid was really getting annoying.

"Sounds like you really like her," Terra said, now turning to look at Zack again. He leaned against the wall while they waited for Phil to catch up and take his and Ven's entry forms. Hercules had wanted to drag the younger keyblade wielder out to do some training as soon as Ven had finished filling the form out, so Terra had agreed to give it to Phil for him.

"Duh!" Zack exclaimed, laughing at Terra's statement, "Did I not make it obvious enough?"

Terra ignored the question and instead answered with a proposition, "How about we make a wager?"

"…A wager?" Zack had no idea where this suggestion had suddenly come from.

"Yeah, on our match in the games, assuming we both make it to the finals," Terra explained, "You see, I like Aqua too." And now his jealousy about Zack and Aqua was becoming clear in his voice. Zack couldn't help taking a few steps back, a little put off by the tone he heard coming from his friend.

"Oh…I…I didn't know, Terra…" he said apologetically.

"I know, and it's alright," Terra told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Beneath the jealousy, which had quickly gained influence over Terra, he felt a bit of guilt at scaring one of his friends like this. It was only a tiny bit, though, and didn't stop him from making his proposition, "How about whoever wins the games gets the date with Aqua?"

"Well, there's a chance neither of us could win…" Zack pointed out.

"Then whoever got farther in the games gets the date," Terra told him, "How about it?"

"…I don't know, Terra…" Zack said uncertainly, "We shouldn't mess with her like that…"

"This is coming from the guy who's going to make her go on a date with him when he's a hero whether she likes it or not?" Terra asked, and when he said it like that even Zack had to admit it sounded bad.

"You do have me there…" Zack agreed with Terra, but he still made no commitment to the bet.

"No one else is going to know, Zack," Terra promised, "Just a friendly competition between friends for the girl of both our dreams. Aqua won't hear a word."

"…Alright," Zack sighed against his better judgment, "I'm in…I guess."

"Great," Terra said, and he held out his hand. A little reluctantly, Zack took it and they shook to seal the deal.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is up! Doing pretty good on updating fanfics (*hopes that doesn't jynx it*). This one is short. I had to deal with some writer's block, but I got Angeal in there and with this ending I know how I'm leading into the next chapter. Really, not much happens here XP Sorry.

I do not own KH Birth By Sleep or Final Fantasy or any of the characters in this fanfic.

* * *

Aqua walked in seconds after the deal had been made. All she saw was the two friends pulling apart after shaking hands, and it made her smile.

"Getting ready for some friendly competition?" She asked them, completely misunderstanding what she'd seen. Hearing how innocent Aqua thought their actions were, Terra felt another twinge of guilt. Zack had a point when he said they were treating Aqua the wrong way by doing this, but it was too late now. They'd agreed to do it, and Terra couldn't back out now.

"Yeah," Terra grinned at her as Phil came in right behind Aqua.

"Alright, you and Ven got those all filled out?" he asked, seeing the forms in Terra's hand. Terra nodded and handed them over to the satyr. He started looking over them and then noticed that Zack, Terra, and Aqua were still in the vestibule.

"…What're you all looking at? Fair, don't you have someone you wanted them to meet?" he asked, sounding a bit irritated at being watched like that.

"Oh yeah!" Zack exclaimed, and he started out to the training area, "Come on, you guys! You've _got_ to meet Angeal!" He was so enthusiastic about it that Aqua had to laugh as she followed him, and Terra's guilt turned back into jealousy. It felt like Zack was winning her over without even having to try.

Outside they saw Ven and Hercules racing to see who could destroy the most barrels. It looked like they were just finishing up as the group came out. They weren't the only ones there, though. There was someone in the stands, who was the watching the youths as well. This must have been Angeal, because Zack made a beeline straight for him.

"Hey!" Zack called over as they approached, "Angeal! These are those friends I wanted you to meet." He had a huge grin on his face as they stood before his mentor. "Terra and Aqua, meet Angeal, the best mentor ever!"

"Nice to meet you two," Angeal said, standing and shaking both of their hands, "I'm guessing the one over with Hercules is Ventus then?" He'd clearly heard a lot about all three of the Keyblade wielders from his student.

"Yep, that would be me!" Ven said, alerting them all to his and Hercules presence. They had headed over to the little group, and Ven had overheard Angeal saying his name. With a big smile he leaned forward to shake hands as well.

"Looked like you two were doing pretty well out there," Angeal commented to him on Ven's and Hercules' training, "Who won exactly? I couldn't tell."

"I did!" both Ven and Herc spoke at the same time, which then led to an argument about it that had everyone laughing soon.

"It sounds like you're a pretty good trainer, Angeal," Aqua spoke up when everyone was done, "Zack gets really excited every time you're mentioned."

Her last statement embarrassed the young soldier who tried to rub the comment off with a, "Well, he _is_ one of the best." Angeal just chuckled.

"He's always pretty excitable, just like a puppy," he said, causing even more embarrassment for Zack. Aqua giggled at the thought, and Terra tried not to glare in Zack's direction. At that moment their conversation was interrupted by Phil coming over.

"Alright, listen up," he told them, "Ven, Terra, you two are good to go for the games. Games start tomorrow, so you better rest up."


	6. Chapter 6

And here is chapter 6! Amazingly, after all the trouble the chapters I've written for other fics gave me, this one came out with no trouble at all. I don't get it XD But the chapter is here faster than I expected and I'm glad that it is! Please enjoy!

* * *

It was a good thing Aqua hadn't signed up for the games because she couldn't seem to fall asleep that night. All her thoughts kept returning to Terra, how he had been acting earlier, and her fears about the darkness. It was so bad that her mind just wouldn't let her get to sleep.

Across the hall, in the hotel room he was sharing with Ven, Terra was having the same problem. Part of his sleeplessness was caused by the same fears about the darkness that Aqua had. A lot of it was caused by thoughts of Aqua and Zack. He couldn't help wondering if Aqua really had the same feelings for Zack that he had for her.

As he turned over for what had to be the millionth time that night, Zack heard a knock on the door. In response to this noise, Ven's voice mumbled something like, "not here" in the bed next to him. With a small smile in the younger boy's direction, Terra got out of bed to get the door. Apparently Ven wasn't exactly asleep either, probably thanks to excitement.

The smile slipped from Terra's face as he opened the door and saw Aqua standing on the other side. He didn't mean to look so unhappy, and Aqua caught the look on his face.

"What's wrong, Terra?" she asked, immediately concerned for her friend.

"Nothing," Terra told her, trying to put the smile back, "I'm just surprised it's you. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"You're the one who should be in bed," Aqua told him with a small laugh, "I don't have to fight in a tournament tomorrow."

"Not my fault," Terra told her, "Somebody decided to knock and wake me up."

"Well close the door," Ven suddenly called from his bed in a tired voice, "You two aren't the only ones who need sleep." Both of his friends laughed at that, and Terra stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him so Ven could get back to sleep.

"So, why are you here?" Terra asked in a quiet voice so he wouldn't wake Ven again.

"I couldn't sleep," Aqua explained, "I'm a little worried…you'll be fine in the tournament tomorrow, right? You can control it…can't you?" Aqua didn't need to say what it was she was talking about, Terra understood immediately. He couldn't help feeling hurt that she thought he couldn't, and ignored the fact he'd been asking himself the same thing not too long ago.

"Of course I can," he said now, sounding more confident than he really felt. For all Terra knew, that could end up being a big fat lie in his first match the next day. There was no way he could let Aqua know, though.

"Good," Aqua said with a smile, and she started to turn to head back to her room.

"Wait," Terra said, stopping her, "I've got a question for you now… Zack really seems to like you, doesn't he?"

"Yeah… I guess he's kind of had a crush on me since we met…" Aqua answered, thinking this was a weird question for him to be asking her.

Terra took a deep breath before continuing with, "Do you…have a crush on him too?"

"No," Aqua said with a slight smile and small giggle, "How he acts is kind of cute, but I don't think I do…at least not now. Who knows what the future will bring, though."

"Right," Terra said, feeling a little relieved when he heard her answer. Sure, she had said that things might change in the future, but it seemed like Terra had the upper hand at the moment.

It occurred to Terra that this could be the perfect reason to call off the deal with Zack. He'd been feeling worse and worse about the idea ever since he'd come back to his senses. It really had been wrong of him to suggest such a thing in the first place. As he thought about it now, though, Terra knew he couldn't back out. He'd pressured Zack into agreeing to in the first place. There was no way he could just call it all off after that.

Aqua interrupted his thoughts when she said, "Why did you ask?" He couldn't be sure, but Terra thought there might have been something like hope her voice. Hope for what though?

"I was just curious," he told her, "It was hard to miss how he acted around you."

"Oh…" Aqua said, and now Terra thought he heard disappointment. Aqua kept smiling as she added, "Well, if that's all, good night then."

"Good night," Terra called after her as she turned to go back to her room. Terra returned to his own bed, and now he had something else to keep him up. He kept going back to how Aqua had sounded just before she'd left. Every possible reason for why she would have sounded so disappointed went through his mind, except for the correct one. Even though he was falling in love with Aqua, but he never once considered that Aqua might be falling for him.


End file.
